Team Experience: Mourning the Snubbed, Pondering the Head-Scratching Nominees
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 1:11PM I polled Team Experience this morning about the Oscar nominations. Here are the first two related questions on absences and curious inclusions. We expect your answers to add to the conversation in the comments.
What omission in this morning nominations most upset you?
Matthew: Like everyone else on here, I am devastated, first and foremost, for the outstanding Annette Bening, an exclusion for which I hold A24 accountable. Finally, I'd like to imagine that Pharrell and Sing Street composer Gary Clark are off together somewhere getting hammered and slinging insults at the tire-fire that is "Can't Stop This Feeling."
John: The intense excitement at Isabelle Huppert's name being read first, chased quickly by the sad reveal that Annette Bening lost a nomination is a perfect capsule for this Oscar morning...
Bening suffered from a late release and a Moonlight-preoccupied A24 (another bittersweet irony) and ultimately lost a nomination for (I'd say) a career-best performance. She now joins the ranks of Joan Allen, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Cher, Ingrid Bergman, Barbara Stanwyck, Rosalind Russell, and other Oscar darlings who weren't nominated for their best work.
Nick: Besides the obvious and possibly truest answer, which is Annette Bening, I'd say the absence of Sing Street from Best Original Song, especially for "Drive It Like You Stole It." It's the best of many great tunes in the movie, it actually sounds like something talented teenagers would write, it functions exquisitely in the film, and it would have been *such* a fun number on the telecast.
Dancin Dan: Sing Street for Best Original Song. My grief is bottomless - perfect song, used perfectly in the film.
Deborah: Upon reflection, I'm a little heartbroken that Hugh Grant's tender, comic, and complex work in Florence Foster Jenkins wasn't acknowledged.
Glenn: When I first reviewed Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson I noted that it was "very atypical of what the Academy consider a documentary" and that I didn't think it stood much of a hope. It's success throughout awards season and a foolish belief that documentarians would see the genius in it given it is explicitly about the art of documentary filmmaking had put me into a false sense of belief that the best film of 2016 could actually get to call itself an Oscar nominee. I will continue to be baffled by the love for Life, Animated for a very long time, but its nomination over the likes of not just Cameraperson, but Tower, Zero Days, Weiner and so on is just frustrating.
Chris: Amy Adams. I was so ready to rally around the "it's Amy's turn narrative" that she should've received for Arrival. Not only is she shouldered with making the film's time leaps believable and coherent, she's also its emotional and intellectual compass. We reward male actors that turn an original film into a $100M hit but not Amy? Hmmmm.
Laurence: It really bothers me that the Cinematographers branch couldn't find room for Stéphane Fontaine's gorgeous Jackie cinematography. I know I shouldn't be surprised that it didn't make it in, but it's a bit galling when La La Land's did; if there's any more glaring example of that movie's visual adequacy it's that Jimmy Fallon and company were so easily able to fashion a pretty spot-on recreation of its entire visual repertoire to open the goddamn Golden Globes. In a category full of singular visions, Jackie's omission is all the more galling.
Murtada: None actually. Moonlight got lots of love. Ruth Negga was nominated, and so was Isabelle Huppert. I guess I could gripe about Riley Keough in American Honey but the 5 women nominated in best supporting actress are all amazing. Or Mia Hansen Love for writing and directing Things to Come, but that was never going to happen. It was a pretty good year, nominations wise.
Which nomination do you find most mystifying?
David: It wasn't mystifying coming from the Golden Globes, but the dreadful assault on the ears that is 'Can’t Stop the Feeling' stinking up an otherwise lovely Original Song category? It needs to die.
Deborah: Hollywood's collective decision to forgive Mel Gibson. Mystifying and nauseating.
Nick: I don't really see what even many Nocturnal Animals detractors do in Michael Shannon's performance. He's fine, but a nomination? Still, it's the only one for that quite bad film, so I'm cool. Gibson aside, nothing else really gets my goat.
Chris: Jeff Bridges. I am generally cold towards Hell or High Water, but I've never understood the praise for this strange, incoherent amalgam of his best performances - particularly when every performance around him (including partner Gil Birmingham) is much stronger.
Murtada: What is "The Empty Chair"? Was Jim:The James Foley Story a real movie? When did it come out? So many questions. Trust the music branch to once again make us scurry to Google on nominations day.
Glenn: Before the Golden Globes I would have said Meryl Streep, but who can really argue with that after that now globally and politically famous speech? I also completely get nominations for films like Passengers and Suicide Squad despite their overall quality. Rather, the nomination that mystifies me the most is La La Land for Best Sound Editing. I look forward to the ceremony montage when they show us just what exactly that was for. And that's from somebody who likes La La Land!
Laurence: Not to hate on La La Land too much - I'm a fan, honest! - but the Sound Mixing is the worst thing about it. I've seen that movie twice, each time in different cinemas with very different audio environments, and both times it sounded muddled and thin, except the second time more loudly so.
Matthew: I'm all for the Academy recognizing contemporary costumes and I do somewhat admire the clever blend of classical and modern sensibilities that constitute Mary Zophres' La La Land aesthetic, although it occasionally seems sponsored by Old Navy, particularly when it comes to dressing anyone other than its two leads. I sincerely doubt that Zophres, who's a genius, had to wrack her brain too much on this project and if you're going to honor a splashy love letter to Hollywood, why not recognize the outsized and endlessly creative ensembles of Hail, Caesar!, which — wouldn't you know? — were also crafted by Zophres! La La Land was obviously not going to miss out on this nod, but in a year with Caesar and equally worthy peripheral contenders like The Handmaiden, Sing Street, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Captain Fantastic, it just feels increasingly unnecessary.
How about you readers?
Reader Comments (72)
About Polansky, he was supposed to be the president of the next Cesar award show, but du to a backlash from french people and association, he had to resign.
Saw it 93 should been his 1st.
Biggest bummers: no Bening. Gibson for Director. TBH: Spencer for Hidden Figures - nothing against her, just thought she was doing her typical thing - not anything particularly noteworthy.
No Jackie for BP is my #1 disappointment here: it's superior in my mind to most of the other 6 nominees that I've seen - to me only Moonlight is also really special, w/ Fences almost so, while HOHW & LLL are merely very good. HF's main claim to fame is fascinating subject matter, but it's directed in a rather ham-fisted, pop sort of way. Enjoyable but could have been amazing.
Ben Foster should have taken Jeff Bridges spot. And Hugh Grant should be there instead of Michael Shannon or Lucas Hedges.
Like many of you, I was surprised and disappointed with the Amy Adams snub. I thought she was a shoo-in for a nomination with a very good chance for a win.
I really liked Mahershala Ali"s work in Moonlight, but I thought both Trevante Rhodes and Andre Holland gave superior performances and was hoping to see one, if not both, here. I understand they didn't have much precursor support but neither did Michael Shannon.
Over the moon that Lion and Tanna did well
Sad that Garth Davis missed out for Lion
Can't believe Annette Benning missed out
Angry that Weiner didn't get a best doco nom
Relieved that Nocturnal Animals didn't fare well
Surprised that Amy Adams missed out for Arrival
Amy Amy Amy!!!
Joel Edgerton deserved a nom too.
Where is The Handmaiden?
Good lord, Justin Timberlake Oscar Nominee, blech
Suicide Squad LOL
Happy for Ruth Negga. Disappointed with Meryl Streep's nomination. Come on, Annette Bening or Amy Adams deserve that spot.
Happy for Ryan Gosling,
Overall, looking at the slate of acting nominees, nothing really jumps out as absurd or offensive. Everyone will have their own views about what constitutes an egregious omission, but in terms of who is nominated, there are no outrages.
I preferred Bening and Adams to Streep, and certainly to Portman - it's a strange, odd film that has a peculiar kind of distancing effect, as opposed to humanizing its subject - but neither performance is without merit.
I still don't entirely get all the hoopla surrounding Lucas Hedges, but it's still a capable performance. Happy they opted for Shannon in Nocturnal Animals over the scenery-chewing antics of his co-star - it's comforting to know that it's not always the flashiest work that gets recognized.
Lead Actor and Supporting Actress are exactly what everyone and their dog presumed they would be, so no point in getting worked up over those.
I'm always loath to take a politically incorrect position, because of the fire I wind up taking, but here goes: I have no idea whether or not Casey Affleck is guilty of the things he's accused of. It's possible he is, and it's possible he's not. I don't know him, I don't know his accusers, and I wasn't there. We know, of course, that there have been instances of false allegations made against famous or wealthy individuals, both male and female, for any number of different reasons. That said, it is wrong for anyone to automatically disbelieve or try to discredit an alleged victim because of the circumstances. It is equally wrong for anyone to automatically disbelieve the alleged perpetrator without any direct knowledge of the situation. I have friends on facebook who were tearing down the Bill Clinton sexual misconduct accusers when Trump brought them out of the woodwork. Some of those same people, two weeks later, were trumpeting the claims of the Trump accusers as if they were speaking the gospel. Not saying they were right, not saying they were wrong - only saying, there was an obvious double standard at work. Here's what it is: You weren't there. You don't know. Your gut can tell you all that it wants, but it is not for you to condemn or exonerate anyone based on your own personal prejudices or assumptions. You can rip into me all you want for saying that, but think on it, at the same time: we're members of a civil society, not a lynch mob.
Biggest snub: Amy Adams. Imo, she has the most diff part to play. Its not a biopic, her character is not a famous person n she had to make her role believable in term o the time twisting twist. Its such an internalised performance n not only she pulls it off, she carries the film to commercial n critical acclaims n its 8 Oscars nods.
One can't help but tink tt had her role been cast as a male. That actor wld ve been nom for Best Actor.
2nd biggest snub: Hugh Grant. I dun buy the fact tt he is unpopular w the Actor's Branch as he IS nom for SAG. I believe he was edged out bcos there's a feeling tt he dun need it n tt his role is merely supportive. His non campaign n nonchalant attitude also din endear him to the voters. Its sad cos he rarely acts now n this might b his last shot at a nom.
@Laurence is getting exactly my thoughts on LA LA LAND -- opening the Globes with that number made every single win it chalked up that night seem more absurd than the last. graduates of UMichigan have been putting together equivalent (and frequently more impressive) work on YouTube for years.
So sad: that Amy Adams didn't get nominated. I agree with the other posters that she made her movie understandable, meaningful, and a hit, and if it had been a male actor in the role, it would have been an automatic nomination.
Also sad that Annette Bening and 20th Century Women didn't get more nominations. To my mind the crowded Best Actress category would have been better off without Streep and Stone.
Also regretful that Lily Gladstone didn't get in.
Overall regret: so many great women's lead performances, but their movies dismissed as Best Picture candidates, while frantically looking around for male-dominated pictures to nominate, even if they are only of middling stature.
Annoying exclusions: Ralph Fiennes, Ben Foster, Amy Adams, Greta Gerwig.
Annoying inclusions: Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Andrew Garfield.
Zero noms for The Handmaiden. :'(
BENING. This woman has given so many great performances, I just knew voters who watched this performance would put her at number 1. However, this past year for Best Actress was unusually strong and ultimately I think 20th Century Women would have had to come out much earlier in order for Bening (and Gerwig) to get more traction.
I wonder if voters forgot about Amy Adams. She is good but a bit bland and forgettable like fried tofu in a vegetable curry. Annette's film clearly did not register with sufficient voters for a best actress nod. Amy and Annette probably came in 6th or 7th place or lower with Tarija. After absorbing the news of today, I totally understand why the top 5 made it.
Hugh Grant - not a lot of love there.
Annette Bening is one of the greatest working actresses and the AMPAS chose to ignore her for career best work.
Sad.
JOsh R -- i share your concerns about this and for the same reasons. The lynch mob feeling is very real and amplified by the internet whenever anyone is accused of anything. It's fine to have a strong opinion about things where all the facts are known and there have been multiple statements from all parties our court rulings or whatnot (like Polanski & Parker) but otherwise I think it's wise to not light a torch.
Cinesnatch -- sad is right. She should have won and she's not even nominated. *cries*
I really think Rhodes did a better job in Moonlight. He carried the entire 3rd story of that film. Ali is way over-hyped and seems to be at the right place at the right time, just 'riding the wave.' His 1 'wow' scene seems to be the confrontation with the mother. I also think the nephew in Manchester could've been dropped in favor of Rhodes.
@Robert R - totally agree. If it's true as I believe someone said on Nat's podcast, that A24 didn't have the resources to support 20th Century Women because they were so focused on Moonlight, then what does that say about them as a distributor? That they can't handle more than 1 film per Oscar season? I used to be really impressed with them but now am so disappointed. They decided to take on the responsibility of supporting 20th and then completely dropped the ball.
@TOM - totally agree, although I do think Ali was also good. I wonder if the A24 pushed Rhodes in lead? I haven't seen their campaign materials so I'm not sure.
Considering that the films and performances that got "surprise" noms were even forgone conclusions to some extent, I can't say that anything genuinely surprised me, which probably is my biggest disappointment -- that nothing completely came out of left field.
What about Tilda? Surprised not to see her mentioned anywhere.